, 1887-11-02

Au0 ulSH "pTOUdUlllLy VI A0 cpCCuy AIN
total dissolution leaves it of hlt trifing
interest or Importance, except to its cGedi-
tors. Idle houses of this class We're OBJ
served on all sides, while passing about
the Island on rail, SURROUNDED Ill many
instances by fields of excellent cane, aban-
doned as not likely to pay harvesting ex-
penSes, as previously mentioned, but here
worth repetition, in the absence from their
vicinity of central factories capable of Sc
curing from the raw material s to 8 per
cent of sugar. Among these houses were
some, too, it was said, with vacuum strike
pans and centrifugals, which had demon
strated themselves incapable, notwithstand-
ing these, of facing the present crisis in
prices, from lack OF good mills or, as fire.
quently, for the want of triple. effect eva
porators in thestead ofopen pans of various
sorts. Since parallel cases to the fore.
going may yet arise in Louisiana, it would
perhaps be well for those who, beginning
at the wrong end, look to their sugar with
out first looking after the antecedent juice
and syrup, to learn the lesson which Gu
ban failures from this cause teach.
The proportion OF, centrifugal to muscO-
vado sugar and melatla has increased, as
may be judged from this, very rapidly of
late, being already as three to one, bidding
fair at an early day to absorb the entire
CIOD W UIl6 ISldIlOs ANU UulOs III 81 AltlCH
because either of the total abandonment of
%muscovado estates or the conversion, az
is the perhaps doubtfully expedicnt ten
dency here, of small cooler houses into
small vacuum pan concerns, as by the ag-
grandiZement of the already larger, pre-
existing, vacuum pan houses, the extern
sion of their individual railway systems
and the purchase by them of canes from
those who are able to raise but unable
longer to manufacture these with profit,
by which they became, as they are general
ly known, central plantations"
Syrup houses and the transport of syrup,
by pipe lines or other wise, from these to
nplghbouring vacuum pan estates seem not
to be known. A tendency, such as here
noted, by which the larger and more sue
cessful places have gradually absorbed i'll
some degree the smaller surrounding ones,
has also been felt. But one true central
factory, that is to say, but one factory
operating upon purchased material solely,
came especially to notice, that, namely.
Just erected by the FerIel Foundry and
Machine Co., of AnSOmia, Conn, for its
own account, near Manzani IL, for which
the owners propose cultivating no land
themselves. Certainly, us yet, not beyond
a few such exist urOn the Island where
no one, more Than here, thinks to treat the
Factory ais III lnSll oFI'di dtC nv
farm, by charging the product 0fthe one as
raw material to the other, at current or
other rates, surprising as this must seem
to those engaged with beet sugar manu-
facture and other lines Of business, involv-
ing dual profits or losses.
To the above rapid growth of the central
system appears due alone such elements of
prosperity as are yet diScernlble on the
Cuban horizon. III its extension lies, no
doubt, Cuba's sole hope, however %fO,lorn,
for the immediate future. The business,
as AN entity, may be said, without fear of
error. to have now become an altogether
nroftless one. It is claimed, how justly
It was impossible to determine, that smal-
Ter c~ultivators, who sell their canes, alone
derive any adequate profit from its prose-
cution; while prices or these promise to
be reduced for the next crop. Whether
the effect of such a reduction may not be-
10 defeat it's own ends, in the ultimate,
by subsequently reducing the supply, re-
mains to be known.
Such estates as range between 300 ami
1000 hhds.. Of 1860 lbs. each, are report
ed to be universally falling to cover actu-
al operating expenses; and most of those
from the latter figure up to 5,OjO hhds. are
not meeting taxes, insurance, depreciation
and any thing approaching reasonable IN
tereStS as Investments.
There, as here, then, while the few are
....4:,.~ ry;+h a ooacurnlln 1norn0 of SnC-